"Anarchy is not chaos, but order without control." »» David Layson

Exploring Portugal

Posted on August 23, 2007
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A few months ago I took my daughter to the Portuguese Heritage Society’s Dia de Portugal Festival at History Park San Jose. Although we learned a lot about Portuguese culture that day, my limited exposure (I dated a Portuguese girl for a few months many years ago) left me woefully unprepared for all of the questions she asked after the festival itself. This did allow me to educate her on the proper time to seek new information (when you’re surrounded by the experts) but left me determined to learn more about Portugal. Alas, like many things, this was soon forgotten. Until today, that is, when I came across Pedro Sardinha’s blog post offering a $10 bonus to fellow blogger’s willing to blog about his home country. That was more than enough motivation for me to do a little research.

Despite my vagabonding instincts I’ve never been that interested in visiting Europe. America’s got plenty of roads I haven’t been down yet. However, should the government ever decide to return my passport, Portugal is definitely going to be near the top of the list for European destinations. This is my kind of country: plenty of beaches, a generally laid back atmosphere and a generally corruption free government (according to the Index of Economic Freedom). Noted magazine The Economist has ranked Portugal the 9th most peaceful nation in the world, just below Canada. Having traveled Canada extensively, this alone tells me I will enjoy my time wandering Portugal.

It’s also got loads of history - as part of the Roman Empire it was settled by Buri, Celts, Suevi, Moors and Visigoths. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal was not only a world power, but a genuine empire spanning Africa and controlling a large swath of South America. Unlike many other empires the Portuguese seem to have mastered the ability of holding on to the best of the cultures it has encountered while leaving the worst to gather dust in historical tomes. This exquisite melting pot is visible in everything from Portuguese food to literature and music to the fine arts.

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